


The Librarians and the So-Called Kidnapping

by LizzieRimmsy (HardlightLibrarian)



Series: Librarians AU [2]
Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Almost Kiss, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, Complicated Relationships, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Gun Violence, Headcanon, Immortality, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Inspired by Music, Plot Twists, Protective Flynn Carsen, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Running Away, Season/Series 02, Telekinesis, Unresolved Tension, With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25225099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardlightLibrarian/pseuds/LizzieRimmsy
Summary: “Let’s just be honest; we’re gonna run, nothing can stop us. Even the night that falls all around us.”Sara Wheeler’s presence had always confused the others, but even more so now that they’ve learned she was potentially kidnapped. Rather than explaining things, Sara and Flynn do what they do best: Running away.
Series: Librarians AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636903
Kudos: 2





	1. Keep Her Close

Into the otherwise quiet room, a woman, Sara Wheeler, came bounding, oddly pleased for once. Possibly because she had an amazing time last night with her Librarian, Flynn Carsen. Minus the animal-skull-wearing angry cultists, of course. 

She’d been here at the Library for a week now, mostly around Flynn, and as much as she loved being with his, there was only so much of his never-ending talking she could take.

So, here she was, feigning excitement to cover up her deep-seated anxiety about making such a bold move. Bold for her, anyway. She never had to do anything for herself before.

“Flynn. There you are,” Sara said. “I need to ask you something.”

He glanced up from the large, old book in front of him, his eyes wide, if not a little manic for a moment. “Yes?”

“Can I stay here? In the Library? Since, you know… _that…_ happened.”

“Of course! No need to ask. In fact, I already took this into consideration. Spoke with the Library,” Flynn stopped his original train of thought when he clocked Sara’s bewildered stare. “Yes, the Library and I talk. Though one could argue that _one of us doesn’t listen!_ ”

Lights flickered around them, as if talking back to Flynn, which was greeted by a laugh of disdain from the old Librarian.

“Flynn, focus up, mate,” Sara urged with a clap of her hands.

“Sorry, sorry. I meant to say that you have a room already made up for you upstairs. Almost identical to your room back… whatever you call the last place you were in.”

She shrugged. “Place works fine. Thank you, but you didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” A soft grin flashed upon his face before bowing for whatever reason. Even he didn’t know why. “I can’t take all the credit. The Library did the work.”

Jenkins groaned, exasperated by the idea of another person using _his_ facilities; at least the Annex. He still thought of it as his, despite everyone else using them. “So much for secrecy,” he muttered, then shot Sara and Flynn a nasty look. “Why can’t she go home, exactly?”

“Well, _technically…_ ” Flynn began in a slightly higher pitch. “She has no home,” He frowned, his expression becoming that of a guilty person. “And, truth be told, I find that to be very problematic. Although, perhaps, that’s only because of my own misdoings.”

Jenkins levelled an admonishing glare. “What did you do?”

“Before you go all _you_ on me, I would like to preface this by saying, I needed her help and she needed mine.”

“What did you do?” he asked again, becoming more put off.

“He was very sweet,” she interjected. “And it isn’t really as bad as it sounds.”

“ _What — did he — do?_ ” he demanded, emphasising each word.

Sara appeared as though she was about to answer, but instead, she looked to Flynn and said, “You don’t need me for this. I’ll see you later.”

“Wait a minute! Hey!”

Even though Flynn was desperate for her to stay and help explain, she la-la’d loudly, purposely ignoring his protests as she retreated up the stairs.

He turned his focus on Jenkins, who had an expectant gaze. “Don’t start. All right, you want to know what I did? I kidnapped her. Essentially.”

“You did _what_?!”

“As she said, it’s not as bad as it seems. It’s not like I dragged her away,” Flynn paused, reconsidering that last part. “Okay, I did — but she wanted to go! She was miserable there!”

“That still doesn’t give you the right to interfere with–”

“I know!” He gripped the back of a chair and glowered at the table, angry with himself more than anyone else, for endangering her. The very thing he wanted to avoid — putting lives at risk for the sake of searching for something he held dear. Nothing happened, but it could have. Still, he had convinced himself that he did the right thing. “I know,” Flynn echoed, low and calm. “But I mean it, she was unhappy there.”

Jenkins did all he could not to yell in the man’s face. “You need to take her back home right now, do you understand me?”

“No.”

“No?” He mirthlessly chortled. “I spoke with her parents after she arrived. Do you have any idea what this did to them? They were utterly fraught!”

“Were they?”

“Yes!”

“ _Good!_ ” Flynn screamed, scaring even the artefacts in the next room. “Let them feel horrible, let them grieve, let them feel _something_ for the daughter they took for granted all these years! I’m not sending her back to that. If she goes there, one drunken mistake from her pisspoor father, she could end up dead. _That_ will be on _you!_ Do _you_ understand _me_?”

For a time, Jenkins watched silently as Flynn began to storm upstairs after Sara, but decided to say something at the last second. “It wasn’t your call. You know that, right?”

Flynn started to speak, but huffed out a breath first. He tried again, being as civil as he could. “It wasn’t theirs either.”

With that, Flynn took off to the upstairs part of the Annex, leaving Jenkins alone. For a moment, nothing happened. It was quiet. Silence, broken only by the low drone of the back door activating and the muted sound of the other Librarians and Baird talking behind it. Eventually, the sound of a door opening came, followed by Ezekiel complaining.

“All I’m saying is that if we had just a few more minutes, I could have snagged it,” Ezekiel said.

His words piqued Jenkins’ interest, to say the least. “You mean you didn’t get the shard?”

“Oh, we did,” he held it up, the clear, green stone catching the light. “Just nothing else I wanted to get.”

“You mean steal?” Baird added.

“Steal is such a strong word. _Accurate_ , but strong.”

Cassandra caught sight of a familiar pair of gloves on the desk. “Is Flynn here?”

“Indeed, he is. Upstairs,” Jenkins replied. He stopped her before she could go after him. “Uh, I think you might want to let him be for a while. He’s a little tetchy right now. _Vexed_ , as he would say.”

“What happened?” Baird asked.

Jenkins took her aside from the others. “I need to talk to you about something.”

* * *

Tetchy and vexed were understatements for how he felt. Flynn was fuming. But he couldn’t focus on that right now. He needed to focus on keeping Sara safe. If he lost her, he would never forgive himself. Aside from finding the missing artefacts and returning them to their rightful place in the Library, she was his other primary concern. He found himself doing the work of a Guardian on top of being a Librarian. It felt strange, but he had to. She was his responsibility now.

And that responsibility was down the way, staring at him, undeniably worried.

Flynn was hoping she didn’t hear him, but then, his voice did carry pretty well. He would have concealed his anger better if he actually wanted to. He stopped roaming towards her, and she met him half-way. The two stood in silence for a few seconds before Flynn had to break it. Faltering, he said, “I… spoke with Jenkins.”

“Yeah, I know. You’re louder than I thought you’d be.”

He chuckled with a hint of genuine amusement. “Just wait until you hear me scream in terror.”

“Looking forward to it,” She almost giggled and would have if it weren’t for Flynn’s state of being causing her concern. “Are you okay? You’re shaking.”

“Oh, yeah,” Flynn waved off her concerns. “I hate losing my temper like that. It makes me sick. I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so,” she said, worriedly eyeing the trembling, pale-looking Librarian. “So, am I kicked out?”

“No,” Flynn had second thoughts, however. Knowing Jenkins, he was probably going behind his back right now. “I-I don’t know. I hope not.”

Sara placed her small hands on his biceps, rubbing one with her thumb. “But you won’t let that happen. Right?”

“Damn right, I won’t!” he exclaimed, bordering on a high-pitched tone. “I will use all my capabilities to keep you here, where you belong.”

“I know you will,” She gave him a light smile. “Oh! Check this out!” Making sure she wouldn’t bump into a bookcase behind her, she glanced over each shoulder as she backed up a few feet. Sara held her hands out in such a way that she appeared to be holding an invisible ball. Soon after, an orb of purple coloured, telekinetic energy formed between her palms, increasing in size as the seconds passed. “Eh? Pretty lush, right?” However, the magnitude of it became more than she could handle. “Oh–!”

The gigantic, glowing ball flashed and flared until it escaped her grasp, and soared through the air. Flynn ducked out of its way just in time, then shot back up after it zoomed past his head, going who knows where. His sights snapped back to her, a look of utter shock on his face.

Sara grimaced in humiliation, her shoulders scrunched up so high that they were reaching her ears. Lifting a single finger, she offered, “I should work on that, yeah?” Noting the vehement nods from her Librarian, she had her answer. “Yeah… okay.”

With a thumb-up, she left for her bedroom to study up on how to better control her abilities.


	2. Time, Time, Time… See What’s Become of Me

Jenkins hung up the phone. An introspective frown lined his forehead. “Her parents are on their way,” he told Baird, his voice low. “They should be here within an hour.”

Flynn, however, wasn’t as subtle. He popped his head out from a bookcase upstairs and shouted, “What?!”

“Sir–”

He marched up to Jenkins, a scowl on his face. In a slightly hushed tone, he spoke, “We talked about this.”

“Yes. We didn’t come to an agreement, now, did we?”

Flynn ripped his attention away from Jenkins and stared intently at Baird. “Did you know about this?”

For a long time, she didn’t answer, worried of what he would think or say. Instead, she didn’t answer at all, only staring at him.

Eventually, Jenkins broke the silence. “We all know what she means to you–”

“I asked her a question!”

“Yes, okay?! Yes!” Baird yelled. “I knew. Hell, I backed him up on it. You can’t rip people away from their homes without other’s permission just to help your cause!”

“Unbelievable,” he muttered, then raised his voice once more. “You know, I expected this backstabbing from him–”

“Backstabbing?!”

“– But _you_?” Flynn spluttered out a disparaging, indignant laugh. “I’d understand if she were fifteen, but she’s not! She is _thirty-years-old!_ She is an adult, she can make her own decisions! You’re not listening to me. She _wanted_ to go with me.”

“And, what, you think you saved her?”

“Yes, I do,” Flynn drew in a shaking breath and spoke just as shakily. By now, all the questions and implications sent his blood pressure skyrocketing. For the second time that day, he felt sick and trembled. “I know what you’re both thinking.”

“Which is what?” Baird shot back.

“That this isn’t saving her. That, if anything, I’m putting her in more danger,” he replied. “But she understood the risk when she agreed to be my Guardian. I don’t have an excuse for my actions, but Sara isn’t bound to me — she could go if she wanted, which she doesn’t.”

“You know this for a fact?”

Flynn let loose a frustrated growl. Not wanting to actually hurt Baird or Jenkins, strangled the air in front of him instead. “ _Yes!_ How many times do I have to say it?” he rasped.

“We just want to understand, sir. I’m certain that’s all her parents want,” Jenkins said. “Surely, you can see how confusing this all is.”

Flynn tightly folded his arms, cocked his head and leaned forward, as if his change in position would help him get some clarity. “What exactly is the confusing part?” he demanded. “The part where she willingly goes with me or the part where I whisk her away from her heartless, remorseless and ignorant parents? I fail to see where you two are lost!”

Baird rolled her eyes. “You’re so full of paranoia and selfishness that you can’t even think straight, let alone see the big picture!”

“Oh, right. I forgot I took her away from all the pain and suffering out of the atrociousness of my heart!”

“I might not know everything about the situation, Flynn, but I know her family deserves to know what’s going on with their daughter.”

“They don’t deserve to know a goddamned thing. They sure as hell don’t deserve to call her daughter!” Flynn then stormed off.

“Sure, leave! It’s what you’re good at!” she screamed out to him.

Flynn hurtled into the Library with all the momentum of a tidal wave, slamming the door behind him. He stomped past bookshelves, the muffled sound of loud, angry music getting clearer with each step. Perfect for how he felt at that moment.

_How does it feel? How should I feel? Tell me, how does it feel to treat me like you do?_

He stopped at the door to her bedroom and stared at it through the tears in his eyes, too distressed to enter, knowing that this would be the last time he would see her. When he plucked up the courage to open it up, an unknown object whizzed by his ear, his hair momentarily moving in the small breeze it produced. It unfazed him, his sombre gaze fixed on her.

“Sorry,” she uttered past her giggle. “Got away from me. Thought I might brush up on my skills,” It wasn’t long after that she saw how distraught he was and soon, she felt the same way. She switched off her music and asked, “What’s wrong?” Then it hit her. “No, wait. I–” Mindlessly, yet still aware of what was underneath her, she flopped down on the edge of her bed. “When are they getting here?” Sara’s voice quavered.

Flynn wanted to say he didn’t know, that he tried so hard to keep her here, but all that came out instead was a sudden burst of sobbing. His whole body shook uncontrollably, a low whimpering bubbling from his mouth as his eyes looked down and to his feet. His lips pressed together, closed together. His heart ached.

“Oh, hey…” Sara outstretched her arms, allowing him to come to her if he so desired, but he sat down beside her, his long fingers gripping the fabric of her baggy jeans. Sara couldn’t hold it in any longer either; tears dropped on to the sheets.

The two continued to weep, tears running down Flynn’s face until he fell over, his head resting on Sara’s lap. She rubbed the back of his head, her fingers raking through his mussed up, dark brown hair, not helping the crying.

Then, gradually, he stopped. He stared straight ahead, puffy and bloodshot eyes unable to stay open.

Sara tilted her head back, blindly looking above, and summoned a deep breath that she let out, shuddering. “Do we still have time?” she asked.

Slowly but surely, Flynn opened his eyes. He didn’t answer, knowing that if he did, he would probably come up with another brilliant escape plan. _Maybe_ , he thought, his eyes narrowing. _That’s what she had in mind, anyway._

Flynn eased himself up, his palms pressing against her thighs for leverage. Once he was upright, he looked into her deep blue eyes, also puffed up from crying. For all that, the two smiled, albeit lightly.

At last, he answered, “Yes, I think we do.”

Sara grasped a couple of his fingers on both hands and rose to her feet, taking him up with her. She found it seemed he had almost no body mass at all, which eased the burden on her. That, or she didn’t know her own strength.

With her arm across the middle of his back, her head resting against his bicep, they strolled out and towards the Annex where, hopefully, no-one still hung around.

The double doors opened, and they stepped through. Sara peered around, making sure the coast was clear. Nobody there except for them.

“Okay,” she uttered with a sigh. “Anything we need before we go?”

Flynn stepped away from her and grabbed his satchel. Following a curt nod, he said, “I’m ready.”

Although he wasn’t. Flynn eyed a pad of paper and debated leaving a note. Not to disclose where he was going — even he didn’t know that yet, although he had some idea — but to say Baird was right and apologise. It was a solid excuse for the fact that he was on the run again. He certainly didn’t want to stay around if the end result involved him getting killed or Sara getting taken away. Or both.

Then he looked about the room, feeling nostalgic, exhausted, vulnerable. It had been a long, hard, tough few months. So much had happened in this short time. He couldn’t explain every detail, and it was difficult to make the event less than what it was in the eyes and minds of others. It was clear that no-one would _ever_ understand.

Flynn looked at the little leather-bound notebook in his hands, something he didn’t realise he had picked up. He didn’t want to go, but he knew he couldn’t stay away. Not for long. Not with Prospero and Moriarty on the loose. But for now, for them, it was a matter of being safe.

Sara brushed his back with her fingertips. “Come on, we’ve gotta go.”

All the things Baird said to him, about being stronger together, wishing he would stay, if not for her then for the others, he was about to quash it all. It should have killed him to do so, it shouldn’t be so easy to leave every time, but it didn’t and it was. 

“Flynn, really–” 

“What about the others?” 

She shrugged. “They’ve been doing well so far. Unless you meant Eve,” Sara let loose a breathy laugh, knowing that she was correct. “Colonel Baird is the last person you need to worry about, man. _Believe me_ , she can handle herself. _You_ , on the other hand– Well, you only know how to fight on your own, and even then…” Sara chortled once more. 

“I have to tell her.” 

“Fine, tell her, but I’m going. Maybe join me when you’re feeling less contrite and obligated? It doesn’t suit you,” She waltzed over to the globe that activated the Back Door, then cursed at it under her breath when she couldn’t figure it out. “How the bloody hell do you work this bloody thing?” 

Meanwhile, Flynn scribbled down a note for Baird and anyone else that might read it. Soon after, he scrambled over to her, bumping up against her a little too close. 

Her eyes flicked from the globe to a random spot on the wall, blankly staring. “Flynn.” 

“Sara,” Flynn shoved her once with his body, then a second time with slightly more force. 

“Shall I move, your highness?” 

A low groan came from him; something about being referred to as royalty got him going. “Keep talking.” 

“Well, I would, but I fear something erotic involving regal role-play might happen and I don’t think we have the time,” she replied, craning her neck back and simpering at him. 

His thin, pink lips pursed, a submissive blush spreading across his cheeks. He shouldn’t feel this way, but there was something about her pretty face, the way she looked at him, the way she smiled, that tantalised him. 

Flynn had to step back from that ledge that led into the chasm of Poor Decisions and remember who he was beholden to. Assuming he meant anything to Baird at this point. The thought occurred to him that, maybe, he should cut his losses now, considering what he was about to do would hurt her, anyway. Was he even still capable of true love? With a wave of his hand, Flynn cut that thought off. 

Realising he hadn’t spoken in over ten seconds, he decided he should say something, even if it didn’t help the situation. “Whatever you say, my queen.” 

She snorted. “Just open the door.”

He did, and instantly, a soft glow of pale blue covered the front of their bodies. Even now, after all of this time coming and going, it gave Sara chills when she saw it. 

Sara grabbed Flynn’s hand and looked into his syrup-brown eyes, dauntless because this time, she knew what they were getting into. Because she knew what she wanted to do, with the same smile that he had shown her on that first night. “Once more unto the breach, dear friend…” 

He nodded his assent, and they grabbed each other's hand again. In a blink, they stepped through and vanished.


	3. So Here We Are…

“Okay,” Baird started with conviction. “Stone, you and Jones go ahead, get all the information you can on that chalice. Cassandra, you stay with Jenkins and get things ready for Wheeler’s folks. Flynn and I will–” Suddenly, it occurred to her that they were missing a Librarian. “Where _is_ Flynn?”

“Uh, Colonel Baird?” Ezekiel lifted a finger as he read the note left on the middle table. “He’s done a runner.”

“He left?”

Cassandra rolled her eyes. “No surprise there.”

Her grey eyes widened ever so slightly. “You don’t think he–?”

Once Jenkins was on the same wavelength, his expression mimicked that of someone witnessing someone else messing up his alphabetised elixirs. Mortified. “Sara?!”

“Wheeler?!” Baird called out towards the back rooms.

“Check her bedroom,” Jenkins told her. “I’ll get–”

“Forget it,” Baird said. “They’re gone.”

“Well, where?” Cassandra asked.

Jake examined the back door and found nothing; no programmed destination. “The globe’s untouched.”

“Flynn said he could use any door, remember?” Ezekiel set his hands on the table, palms down. “Pretty ingenious, if you ask me. Easy out, leaving no trace.”

“Well, nobody asked you, Jones!”

“Stone, come on. Keep your head,” Baird calmly urged, but she couldn’t help but worry as well. “Jenkins, what if this time he really did kidnap her?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions, Colonel,” Jenkins soothed. “I have a sneaking suspicion that this was Miss Wheeler’s idea. Flynn is in trouble here, not her, and we know how protective she is of him. After all, he was the first person to show her compassion.”

“And if they’re _both_ in trouble? If Prospero or Moriarty get to them, then what?”

“Could be worse,” Ezekiel chimed in. “Could be us,” Clocking the dirty, shocked looks on each of their faces, he innocently asked, “What?”

Jake shook his head, dislodging the bewilderment of how someone could be so apathetic. Then again, this _was_ Ezekiel Jones. What did he expect? “It should be okay. Flynn has her protecting him. Trust me, she can hold her own. Neither of those fictional dingbat characters could touch her.”

“Stone, what are you talking about? She’s just one person.”

“You know. She can…” Jake motioned his arms and hands slowly about, pretending he knew how to bend air.

“Oh, God. You’re right,” Baird moaned out of fear. “Do we know if she’s dangerous?”

“Sara?” Cassandra incredulously uttered, her voice bordering on shrill. “No way!”

“Miss Wheeler _does_ have a tendency to lose control of her emotions,” Jenkins tagged on, failing to tell her about the time Sara devastated a group of military personnel. That would have to wait for another time.

“Given her history, we can’t really blame her, now can we?” Jake’s eyes flitted to the back door and returned to Baird. “All the more reason for her to venture off with the person who gets her the most.”

Baird wiped her face with both of her hands. “Okay, new plan. The Chalice of Opulence can wait a few hours. We need to get them back. Can we track them?”

“I don’t see her cell lying around,” Ezekiel noted. “Assuming she brought it with her, I can get a location from it.”

“Go for it.”

“Isn’t that illegal?” Cassandra asked.

“We don’t exactly have time to play by the rules,” she said.

Jenkins reached for the Annex’s phone. “Shall I get in touch with her parents?”

“No, not until we get a lead. Lord only knows what’s going on.”

* * *

It was far from dreadful, to be honest. The two were back at Flynn’s mother’s house in New York, playing music semi-loudly, sitting at the kitchen table, having a blast in between sipping their tea. Both were in high spirits; they'd spent the better part of the week away from their real lives, going on adventures and searching for artefacts. Now they could just be, if Flynn could stand it for more than a few hours. For her, though, he probably would stay.

Sara and Flynn had been talking, asking each other questions for the last five hours, and neither planned on calling it a night any time soon. Sara’s question for him was prompted by the song currently playing. A rather important one, in her mind. “Okay, answer me this — and this one is a big deal, okay? It defines a person, and I may judge you for your answer.”

“What is it?”

“Britney or Christina?”

Flynn drew a blank. “Uh…”

“Oh, come on! You can tell me what the square root of seven thousand is, but you can’t tell me which one you prefer?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t bother with teen-pop mush.”

“ _Mush_?” Going off Flynn’s insistent nod, she changed the song on her iPad. “Okay. This one is Britney Spears. What do you think?”

“Well–”

Sara shot to her feet and grabbed her empty mug in one swift motion. “Mull it over,” she said before heading for the kettle. “D’you want any more?”

“No, I’m good,” His words almost came flat, busy listening to the lyrics. He found them fitting for her. Sara was overprotected in more ways than one, and she was mostly to blame — too scared or too comfortable to venture out, until now. Nonetheless, he still caught her second guessing herself, even when she was right.

Flynn watched her sashaying towards the oven and dancing poorly as she poured herself another cup of tea, just about mesmerised by her. And he shouldn’t have been. Baird was his first choice, and he fell for her instantly, not unlike how he did with Sara, or other women for that matter. Seeing the free-spirited woman before him, he couldn’t help wondering if Baird was just the safer choice. The _easier_ choice. He still felt utterly confused about it all.

Sara plopped down in her chair and took a large swig of chilled peppermint tea from her mug prior to asking, “So, what do you think?”

“Um…” _I think you’re amazing, your laugh is infectious, you’re kind and so much like me that it scares me and I want to be with you forever._ That was what he _wanted_ to say. In the end, Flynn didn't reply at all. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts, and the deeper he immersed himself in them, the more his mind began to unravel. It was enough to make his head feel like it would explode. Enough to make him want to vomit, just to force the overwhelming sensation of it out.

The actual mess that would have ensued was soon forgotten, replaced by Sara, who was sweetly smiling at him.

Sara grabbed hold of his fingers. “It’s okay to be unsure and afraid. You’re the Librarian, sure, but that doesn’t mean you always have to know what to say or do.”

“Don’t I?” he snapped. “That’s just it. I _don’t_ have a clue. If I don’t have a plan, I’m more likely to lose you, and I don’t _want_ to lose you.”

“You’re the Librarian,” she reiterated. “You won’t let that happen. I am _an_ artefact, after all,” Sara gave him a wink and took another sip of her tea.

“Well, _technically,_ and that’s only because you possess powers typical of an artefact. How or which one or _ones_ , I don’t know, and that is vexing.”

“Story of my life.”

Flynn pulled away and slumped back in his chair, cradling his head in his hands before resting it on the table. “ _Eughhh_! I think I need to sleep. For many hours.”

“Sounds good. Reset the brain.”

“Yeah,” Flynn got up and set one foot out of the kitchen before wheeling back around. “I know this may sound a little strange, but–” 

“Yes,” Sara answered. She didn’t need to hear the rest of the question to know that he didn’t want to sleep alone, and it wasn’t because she was psychic. It was written on his face. “I don’t think I could either. I’ll join you in a bit.” 

He nodded, and headed upstairs to his bedroom, leaving Sara to wash up. She wouldn’t have it any other way; she was used to cleaning up and it was clear he wasn’t feeling well enough to do it himself. 

Once she finished up in the kitchen, Sara made her way upstairs, only to discover an extremely awake Flynn Carsen sitting up in bed. She smirked and said, “You know, for sleep to work you’re supposed to have eyes closed.” 

“I was waiting for you.” 

“Well, I’m here,” Sara peeled off her zip-up hoodie and tossed it on the floor. “Unless there’s something you want to talk about.” 

There was so much he wanted to say, but failed to find the way to convey it to her. It didn’t help that he had no idea what he felt for her. Daughter, sister, something more? He wanted more, but he couldn’t exactly see the two of them walking down the aisle. However, if the opportunity ever presented itself, he’d certainly take it and deal with the repercussions later. The fact that anyone found him desirable at all had him floored and he wasn’t about to pass on that. 

“I’ll take your silence as a no, then.” 

Flynn drew in a deep breath, widening his sleepy eyes for a second. “Sorry. I can’t think straight.” 

At last, something true had come out. 

“Well, then get ready for bed, big man.” 

He nodded once and got under the sheets.

“What are you doing?” 

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m rolling over, getting comfy… It’s an _absolute mystery_ ,” he retorted, his response dripping with sarcasm. 

Sara gave him a stern look, hands on her hips, akin to a mother scolding her son. “I said _get ready_ for bed. Brush your teeth.” 

He pulled the covers over his head. “Later,” he said, voice slightly muffled. “Need sleep.” 

“ _Now_ , Carsen.” 

A single, long irked growl emitted from underneath the tan coloured sheets and red plaid duvet. 

“Okay, but you’re not getting any _Fanta_ tomorrow…” she intoned. She still didn’t get through to him. “At least get out from under there. You’re gonna suffocate.” 

“Good. Maybe then I’ll get some shuteye,” he rasped. 

“Oh, am I keeping you awake?” Sara repeatedly poked him in the right side and asked, “Am I annoying you?” 

“Yes!” he hissed. 

“How?” 

“You’re touching me!” 

“I’m not touching you, I’m touching the blankets.”

Flynn ripped the covers off and shot her a dirty look. 

“Hey, there’s my Librarian. I–” A pillow hurtling to her face swiftly interrupted her. “Okay,” After checking for a bloody nose, she picked it up off the floor. “If that’s how it’s gonna be.” 

Just as she was about to thwack him in return, Flynn rolled out of the way at the last second, leaving her face first on the sheets. He turned back over, now on top of her. 

He laughed at the sound of her muffled protests. “Am I annoying you?” he mimicked. 

Sara slapped the mattress as though tapping out of a wrestling match, and let out a series of muted groans. 

“All right, all right,” He relented until he hung above her. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

She lifted her head, gasping for air. Her eyes caught something out of the corner, causing her to do a double-take. It was his arm. Sara’s eyebrows tugged up a couple of times and she smirked. Careful not to knock him down, she moved to her back, only to see him staring intently at her. 

“You seem… fine,” he said, voice almost flat. 

“Oh, very,” Her sapphire-blue eyes briefly flicked to the rest of his body, then back to his sweet face. “You’re hovering.” 

“Mm-hm.” 

“Flynn, I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not smart.” 

“Mm-hm.” 

The longer Sara kept her eyes rapt on Flynn, the more she wanted to do something incredibly stupid with him. There was no denying that heat and desire percolated between them, but she was still far from being in the right frame of mind for it. For all that, she was surprised she could manage to keep her shirt on with all that sexiness hanging over her. 

Flynn levelled an intent stare, inwardly worried he did something wrong. “You’re a little less you right now. Did I scare you?” 

“A bit, yeah.” 

“Sorry,” Flynn said. “I’ll just–” He shifted his weight to one side and began to back off. 

Right as Flynn was about to climb off of her, Sara put her hands on his bare shoulders to stop him. She decided she wanted him — needed him — even if it was wrong. Sara pulled him in closer. She could feel his warmth and breath against her neck. 

Flynn pushed away strands of her hair from her face, wanting to see if she had a telltale sign of uncertainty in her eyes; he still couldn’t tell. “You’re okay with this?” he asked quietly. 

“I am.” 

That was all he needed to hear. 

Feeling his hands on her, Sara’s breath hitched and her body arched. She pulled away long enough to look at Flynn, taking in his appearance once more. She knew that soon, for the next few minutes, her focus would be on something else, such as how painful and possibly embarrassing it might be. It was to be expected for her first time; she kept telling herself that. It didn’t make her any less nervous. She also had no idea what she would be dealing, which made her anxieties worse. 

Sara set her hands on his forearms, halting his caresses. “Ahhh, y-you know, I, uh– Actually, I-I don’t think th-that I’m ready. Right now.” 

“Really?” Responding to her nod, he wheezed out, “Oh, thank God!” 

Unsure whether she should be insulted or not, she just kept her mouth shut. Though her scrunched up countenance said it all. 

Flynn internally cursed at himself. “I don’t mean it like that. I just– I wasn’t exactly _there_ , either.” 

“Ah. Well, good. I’m glad we’re on the same page,” she said. Deep down, however, she felt she let him down and he was only going along with her to humour her. Not that she’d say anything. Some words were better left unspoken. 

Flynn got off of her and laid on his back, and in a strained voice, he said, “I mean, we haven’t even been on a date yet.” 

“Well, unless you count your forty-second birthday.” 

He hoarsely laughed when he remembered. “Oh, yeah.” 

Sara playfully smacked his chest. “You got a green bean stem stuck in the back of your throat. I had to do the Heimlich manoeuvre.” 

“Which I taught you on the spot. You’re welcome, by the way.” 

“It was hard to watch. D’you have _any idea_ how panicked I was?” 

“Oh, I do. You were shaking so badly, I thought you were going to crack my ribs.” 

“I know. I’m sorry,” Giggles tucked neatly into the nooks and crannies of her words. Sara rested her chin on his shoulder and deeply stared into his eyes. The more she did, the more she felt that there was nothing she would rather be doing than lying in bed with the single person who understood her. “You know I love you, right?”

“I do now.”

She half-smiled and moved in to give him a peck on his forehead. “Well, I’m sorry I never told you before, but I do. Very much.”

Flynn was scared to say it back. Every time he did in the past, his partner, romantic or otherwise, had left or they were gone and dead. Or dead and gone. He couldn’t go through a repeat performance, he just couldn’t. On some level, with Sara being psychic, he figured that she knew. It probably wasn’t in the same way she was hoping, but still, it was love. 

After ten long seconds of no response, he felt he should say _something_. “I… should brush my teeth,” He then shot up out of bed and rushed out to the bathroom. Once there, he looked at himself hard in the mirror, loathing himself. 

_How hard is it to say it?_ he asked himself.

_Very, evidently_.


	4. If You Could See It Then You’d Understand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a long one this time. It’s partly why it took me a while to get this posted. That and the holidays coming up, and… life. (Bleh!) Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

Early morning, around five o’clock, Flynn and Sara were still fast asleep, cuddled into one another. It wasn’t the position either of them wanted to be in, but it was the one they ended up in. Sara’s arms draped across Flynn’s abdomen, fingers clutching his shirt. 

Something inexplicably woke her up. Half with it and half not, she shook Flynn, trying to rouse him to no avail.

The phone rang out of nowhere, finally waking up Flynn and startling Sara. It was her cell.

She grabbed it and checked the screen. The number on-screen belonged to Jenkins. Sara rolled her eyes at it and immediately tossed it to the foot of the bed.

“Who was it?” Flynn asked as he got comfortable once more, his voice low and calm.

“It, uh– N-nothing. No-one,” she replied, telling an untruth to say the least. “Go back to sleep.”

A long, soft snore told her he already had. Sara chuckled before rolling over, giving the wall beside her a thousand-yard-stare. There was no way she would be able to go back to sleep now. Although sleep sounded amazing right about now, she wound up laying there, awake.

Her phone rang again; it was an unknown number this time. No doubt it was Eve, considering that Sara refused to add her to her contact list.

Fed up and frustrated, Sara ripped off the back of her cell — one of the few smartphones that still had a removable backing — and yanked out the battery.

* * *

“She’s not picking up,” Baird stated. “I don’t know why I thought she would,” She handed Ezekiel the phone. “You try.”

“ _Me_?” Ezekiel just about shrieked. “Why me? I’m handling the tracking.”

“You’re her best friend.”

“Uh, so am I?” Jake objected strongly. “I think we all are.”

Cassandra shrugged her shoulders. “Well, except for…” She stopped there after getting a dirty look from Eve. Immediately, she cleared her throat and stared at the floor in shame. “Sorry.”

“Look, maybe we shouldn’t come on too strong. It’s only gonna make her feel ganged up on, which is only gonna drive her further away.”

“So, what do you suggest, Stone?” Baird asked. “We let her go, dragging Flynn along with her?”

Jake gave her a reassuring smile. “C’mon. She’s not gonna hurt him, Baird. She’s his Guardian. Guardian two point five, if you will.”

“A Guardian who has lost her God damn mind. Why would she do this?”

“She was scared of losing him,” Cassandra answered. “So, she acted on impulse, doing what she was supposed to.”

“But we weren’t going to do anything to either of them.”

“ _We_ weren’t,” Jenkins finally spoke up. “There were other parties interested in them. Perhaps she believed they would come back.”

“Who?”

“Unknown. They do have something to do with her parents. It’s clear they’ll stop at _nothing_ to get her back, _away_ from Mister Carsen.”

Jake noticed the introspective frown on Jenkins’ face. “What? You think there’s something to it?”

“I’m not sure,” Sharply, he inhaled before going on, “There may be something that’s too grand for it to be a coincidence. The Serpent Brotherhood had beat them to the Monolith of Mutt, and after them came these unknown individuals. Now, how would _they_ know where they were–?”

“Unless they were in on it?” Baird finished.

“Mister Carsen has a sneaking suspicion they’re somehow involved with her parents, helping bring her home. He said they appeared to be military — armed to the teeth with guns. A bit overkill for a simple rescue mission.”

Her stomach sank even further, down to her bowels. “Ohh, Jenkins, we _really_ need to find them.”

* * *

Sara sat at a diner table, opposite of Flynn, who was stuffing his face with a cheese burger. She watched in apprehension, knowing that there was no way of telling if what he was currently eating would make him sick. And that made her sick with worry. “Hungry?” Sara ventured a sarcastic guess.

Flynn looked at her, and with a mouthful of food, he smiled and said in a muffled voice, “Sorry,” He swallowed it down and coughed. “You’re not eating?” Flynn pointed at her plate full of pasta.

She shook her head, and she laughed at the idea of even having this conversation. Ninety percent of the time, she always has to explain herself, and a hundred percent of the time, people told her to stop worrying so much. “Were it so easy,” she thought out loud. “Anyway, I’m too stressed to eat.”

“Well, starving yourself isn’t going to help.”

“I know.”

“I thought you loved pasta.”

“Flynn…” Sara drawled in an irritated way. The last thing she needed was someone telling her what she already knew or making her do something she didn’t want to.

“Right, right. Sorry,” Flynn responded in a soothing tone. “In your own time.”

“Thank you. Now,” Sara pushed her plate aside and put her clasped hands in its place, leaning forward. “What are we doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what do we do next? We can’t go back, that’s for sure.”

Flynn bobbed his head from side to side, mulling their options over for a moment. He knew they needed to go back. “We can’t keep running either,” His words were greeted with a disparaging chuckle from Sara. “I’m serious,” he said. “As much as I love all this running around, spending time with you, I can’t keep doing this.”

“Why not?” she asked with a touch of wanting in her sights and speech as she stared straight in his eyes. “Why can’t it just be us? Why can’t they do their thing while we do ours? Just because we’re all playing for the Library doesn’t mean we should be on the same team. Nothing wrong with splitting up.”

It was true, all true. He often felt that splitting up was better. The other Librarians didn’t necessarily need him, and he could guess the same went for Eve. None of them were exactly searching for them, after all.

“Besides,” Sara chewed on her lip, creasing her forehead as she debated whether to confess to something she couldn’t quite explain. In the end, she decided, what was the harm? “It’s been you and me for ten years until they came along, and I’ve missed it,” Clocking the immense confusion on his face, she explained, “Astrual projection,” Her eyes narrowed for a moment before continuing. “At least I think that’s what it was. One day, I needed to escape, and I couldn’t drive, so, I closed my eyes, let myself go and the next thing I knew, I was in the Library. I don’t know how or why, but–”

Flynn simply gazed at her, listening intently and wonderingly. If she was going where he thought she was, it would explain a lot; how he felt as though he had known her for so very long, even though they met nearly two years ago.

“I didn’t just see things. I felt things,” she said, her voice a near murmur. Sara glanced around, making sure nobody was around before she carried on. “Whenever I laid in bed I felt arms around me. Legs. One, anyway. The other was usually between my thighs,” A soft smile played across her lips as she thought back. “Or whenever I tried to reach for something high up, I would feel someone trying to lift me. I’m pretty sure it was you. It felt like your energy,” Sara snickered. “Probably makes me sound crazy.”

Flynn’s eyebrows shot up quickly while he imperceptibly shook his head. It wasn’t the strangest thing he’d heard. In his ten years as a Librarian, he had seen more bizarre and more outlandish things happening. A little split up between the physical and spiritual never hurt anybody. Although, he began to understand why he felt worn out for seemingly no reason.

One question entered his mind. “Why me? Not that I blame you for picking me,” Flynn’s once smug expression faded and an introspective frown took its place. “Did you pick me?”

“And mess with free-will?” Sara made a noise of disbelief. “ _Nooo_.”

“How could I just show up out of nowhere if you had nothing to do with my being there?”

Her features hardened once more, struggling to find the answer herself. "I’m not sure. Maybe you heard my calls for help… Anyway, you had just been recruited,” she went on. “You were so young and… _so_ stupid. With that jetpack,” A grin as gentle as a lamb came while she burst into quiet laughter, and considered if she should admit what she thought in that moment. As usual, she did. “You had a lot more hair back then, too.”

Flynn slid her a glare, then rolled his eyes, muttering, “Yes, thank you for that.”

“And a lot less wrinkles,” Sara reached out to touch his face, but judging by his irked manner, she hesitated a moment. In the end, she set her palm down on her knee. “But you’ve still got those beautiful eyes. Except they have more–” The longer she looked into his syrup-brown eyes, the clearer it became to her that they said a lot; so much sorrow, so much pain. So much potential that he had yet to find. For all that, there was still a sparkle of passion and commitment to make a difference in the world, faint as it was. There was so much in his eyes than she could express. “Just more.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, threatening to bring a light smile on his face, but never did. “I have been through a lot these last few years. It might be why I look older than I am. I’m so tired, of everything.”

“I know the feeling,” Sara chuckled mirthlessly at the thought of it; she knew absolutely. “Seen so much in my lifetime, and I’m only thirty-one. Ish.”

“I thought the same when I started. The Library definitely changed my life,” Flynn picked at his fries as he decided whether he changed for the best or not. It probably wasn’t a good idea to determine which; it would just bring up more emotional and mental distress. Instead, he asked, “How long have you been feeling like this?”

She thought long and hard about it. It seemed like forever, dare she say even before she was born. As if it all happened in a previous, previous life. The longer her hardened gaze stayed, the more her head hurt. “I don’t know. I guess since I was eight. I’ve always had to be the adult.”

“No, I mean you relapsing.”

“Ah. Uh…” Sara shrugged. “I guess since you burnt the Tree of… Whatever-it-was.”

Flynn’s cheeks pinked right up. “Oh, yeah,” Then it sank in. It made his heart plunge into the void. “Wait. That was weeks ago.”

“Yeah,” Sara spoke into her glass of water. After gulping it down, she wiped what remained from her lips with her sleeve. “Your point?”

“Sara, you can’t do this to yourself now. You need to be in good shape — _better_ than good — and in control of yourself. The longer you–”

“Flynn, have you ever encountered a Wendigo?” she parried.

The look on his face was that of an annoyed parent wishing their rebellious child would just listen to reason for once. For now, though, he’d play along. “The Algonquian mythical creature born of cannibalism? No, thankfully, I’ve missed that one.”

“Well, tell you what: if I become one of those things, _then_ you can worry.”

“I’ll always worry about you.”

There were no words for the gratitude she felt. Even though Flynn was a constant companion, it nevertheless took her by surprise that he cared so much. She wasn’t used to it. In fact, she still suspected he might leave her one day. But that day wasn’t today, and for that, for all his support, she was grateful.

She smiled warmly, reached out and clasped on to a couple of his fingers, giving them a light squeeze. “I know. Thank you,” Sara then let go and flopped back against the cushions of the booth with a bray. “Well, I don’t know what to do.”

Truth was, Flynn didn’t either. The only option was to head back to the Library. It was the safest place for her, whether she liked it or not. However, he could tell she was not ready to go just yet; the not so subtle restlessness in her movements gave it away. So, he took it upon himself to take this time to give her something. Flynn reached inside of his brown blazer and pulled out a thin package wrapped in colourful paper and handed it to her. “Happy birthday, by the by.”

She scrutinised it a moment before plucking it from his grasp. “It’s December. My birthday was two months ago.”

“Consider it an early gift. Or a late one. _Or_ Christmas…” Flynn hastily waved off the voices in his mind, bickering over which one. “Just open it.”

Without waiting any longer, she tore into the wrapping paper, eventually revealing a plastic CD case. The cover had her stunned silent for several seconds. A small puff of air escaped nostrils while the corner of her mouth twitched. She was beside herself. “ _Glassworks_.”

Once more, Flynn nodded. “Expanded edition.”

“Just when I thought I couldn’t love you more…” She looked at him with an appreciative grin. “Thanks. It’s not every year I get something I actually want,” She heard herself just then, and became incredibly embarrassed. “That sounds bad. I just– I mean, you write a list every year, you’d think they’d get the hint, but evidently, a bag of gummy bears equal a _Nintendo DS_.”

He bobbed his head, almost in a tilt, knowing exactly how she felt but didn’t express it vocally. “Well, one is definitely more edible.”

“I swallowed one whole that night.”

Flynn winced at the thought. “How did _that_ feel?”

“Oh, it was glorious,” she caustically retorted. Sara’s upper body swayed slightly from a stifled laugh that Flynn let out instead. “We should listen to this in the car.”

* * *

Once again, they were on the long and straight road. As they did, music played; not the CD Flynn gave her, but something else unknown to him. Then again, he didn’t know much about the music she listened to, and yet he never said anything. Never complained. Discovering new things thrilled him, after all. He was open to it, even if it was teen-pop from the early two-thousands. Flynn surmised that, because she had to grow up quick, thus never having a substantial childhood, she was trying to regain it now, later in life. Age regression — it was a slippery slope, but Sara was happiest when listening to it, which, in turn, made him happy. As long as she was an adult when necessary, and she was, who was he to judge?

Flynn watched her as she drove, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel with the beat.

She glanced over at him. Noticing the look of contentment in his eyes, she did a double-take before returning her attention to the road. “What?” Sara chortled softly.

“Nothing,” he answered, grinning. “It’s just good to see you like this. Free and open.”

“Yeah, well…” The corner of her mouth quirked up. Reluctant, yet willing, she admitted, “You’re the reason I’m like this,” Sara glanced down at the box of currently melting eggnog ice cream sandwiches. “Think we’ll get drunk on these?”

While Flynn stuffed his second one into his mouth, he replied, “No, it’s artificial flavouring. We will get fat, though.”

“That’s okay, you could stand to gain a few,” Sara emitted without realising. It wasn’t until she caught sight of his incredulous look that she figured it out. Sara grinned and stayed silent.

“Are you saying I’m too skinny?” His brows drew together in confusion at the very audacity of it.

“I am, actually, yes. Here,” Sara reached down into the box and handed him another ice cream sandwich.

Respectfully, he declined. “I shouldn’t have even had that second one.”

Following a shrug of her shoulders that said, ‘ _More for me_ ,’ she motioned Flynn to grab the wheel while she unwrapped it, which did with quickness and panic. Soon after, Sara bit into the cookie and fake but tasty eggnog filling, then took over driving once again.

Flynn huffed out a breath, trying to calm himself, so he wouldn’t sound like a nervous wreck when he spoke. “Besides, I’m the Librarian. I have to stay fit.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said with sarcastic undertones and poked at his squishy, not-toned-at-all stomach. “How’s that six-pack coming along, eh?”

“Ha!” he rasped out, then jerked his thumb toward her belly. “Still better than your flab.”

“Uh, _ouch_?”

Immediately after he said it, he felt terrible. The filter between his brain and his mouth had, once more, ceased to function. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, hey, it’s fine,” she insisted. “I joke about it all the time. What else am I gonna do, feel sorry for myself?” Sara donned a smile, suggesting she was doing just fine, but underneath the faux mirth was genuine agony and fear, a woman broken beyond repair. Even with Flynn’s help, she was still messed up, and she only blamed herself.

Fortunately, he saw right through it. Flynn had studied facial expressions at length, as well as other tells that most people would miss. Not to mention, he knew her well enough to know when she was struggling with herself.

Right when Flynn was about to say something, Sara cut him off. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t say it.”

“Well, I don’t have to, now do I, Miss Medium?” Flynn gave her a glance, his eyes ever so slightly narrowed and staring intently. “In which case, I’m right and you know it. And if you’re not proud of yourself, know that I am. Exceedingly. And, yes, you may have relapsed, but that’s okay. Doesn’t mean you failed. You just have to start over, and I’ll be with you every step of the way. Okay?”

“Yeah,” Her voice came shaky, almost in tears. “Still… Five years down the drain.”

“You’ll get those years back, and then some.”

“Yeah, but still,” Sharply, she inhaled and changed the subject. “I do have a question.”

“Fire away,” he responded with a slight inclination of his head.

“It’s about the whole interface thing — or the Annex, I guess. D’you think there’s more than one?”

Flynn’s eyes flicked from Sara to a random spot then back again, His brows puckered ever so slightly. “Maybe?” he drawled out quizzically.

“And, theoretically, we could get to the Library from said alternate Annex, yeah?”

“Well, we’d have to anchor it somehow, but I don’t think that’s possible or use my door trick, which, unlike the actual Back Door, might not allow for interdimensional trips, I’ve never tried it,” Flynn said, voice almost hoarse from the long-winded, one-shot reply. He inaudibly took in a deep breath and asked, “Why?”

“Might be time to move,” she simply answered.

“This again,” While Flynn wanted to be ecstatic over the prospect of having a branch of their own, he knew it wasn’t right. It didn’t feel right, and he couldn’t figure out why. “You really want to break up the band?”

“Like you haven’t,” Sara caustically remarked, just about under her breath. She looked over in time to see the blank, yet faint scowl on his face. “I’m serious, Flynn. I love the others, I really do, but I’d rather have our little adventures. Listen, I know you ‘work better alone,’ but you need me, and I need you. I mean, take this for example,” Sara wiggled her fingers over the steering wheel. “I don’t even know how to drive, and yet… here I am. You and I, we’re connected somehow, I know how to now. I know _a lot more_ than I did before I met you,” By this point, her Southern Wales accent slowly faded and someone else’s took over; her Librarian’s. “So much in our head, rolling around, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over–”

Hearing this broken record of a woman who gradually started to mimic him scared him, just a little bit. It was like the inside of his brain, embodied. Flynn attempted to stop her before she hurt herself. “Sara?” He cautiously put a hand on her shoulder.

“– How can you stand it?” she carried on without a snag. That was until his voice finally got through. “What? No, I’m fine,” Sara hastily acknowledged in her usual intonation. “Why?”

“I–” Flynn was going to say he wasn’t about to ask that, but then he paused to think it might not be such a bad query, despite the explanation being obvious. “You’re sure?”

She nodded firmly, looking more frustrated than anything else. “Not the first time I’ve been you. I don’t know why it comes on, it just… does.”

He sloughed it off and chalked it up to yet another unusual aspect about her. “There are worse people to–” The thought was abruptly interrupted by Sara slamming on the brakes, throwing him off. Flynn braced himself against the dashboard with a grunt and an inward curse. “Why did you do that?” It didn’t take him long to see just what Sara was throwing look-daggers at. Following a gulp, he nervously uttered, “Oh.”

Before them were four vehicles parked in the middle of the road, forming a block. Their car came to screeching halt. As both Flynn and Sara gawked at the view ahead, at the men and women in black suits stepping out of the cars, their stomachs turned.

“What the hell is this _Men in Black_ crap?” Sara muttered under her breath.

Flynn leaned closer to the windshield to get a better look. “Can’t really tell who they are,” he said. “Might be FBI or–” The sight of Eve Baird coming out from the back seat startled him. “Eve?!” Right when he was about to go after her, Sara stuck out her arm to stop him. “What are you doing?”

“This is what they want. They’re trying to tempt you.”

“Well, it’s working.”

“Clearly,” She stopped him from leaving for a second time. “Oy! You’re not going anywhere. They’ll hurt you, I know it.”

“Wheeler!” Baird called out from across the way. “What do you think you’ll gain from this? Running away, hurting others who just wanted to help, and with the Librarian you took an oath to protect. What kind of Guardian does this?”

Flynn’s eyes darted to Sara and saw the gaze of unmitigated hatred and defiance bubbling to the surface. “Sara, don’t. I can tell what you’re thinking–”

“I am so sick of this,” she whimpered crossly, dodging his words completely. “So, _so_ sick of this.”

“– and it is a stupid idea,” he continued without a beat. “If you show off your abilities to whoever they are, they _will_ take you away. Do you want that?” The sound of their car engine revving answered his question. “Wait, wait, wait. You’re not actually going to drive through them!”

Sara whipped out her cell phone and dialed a number. Once she got a response on the other end, she tersely uttered the name, “Eve.”

“Sara. Thank God! I didn’t want to–”

“You have five seconds to get the hell out of my way.”

“What?”

Promptly, Sara hung up, threw her phone in the back of the car and stomped her foot down on the gas pedal.

The car sped off down the road, getting closer to the others. Closer and closer, but they never stood down. They drew their weapons. It only drove her to go harder.

Sara glowered down the road, her breathing heavy. It was clear to her that they were going to shoot to kill. Knowing this, she produced a shield, covering the entire vehicle.

Their car raced past them, bullets hitting but never penetrating the shield. Flynn let out one of his usual, girly scream and instinctively ducked for cover while Sara seemed to be in a trance, unable to break loose. They kept speeding ahead, heading nowhere.

Flynn finally lifted his head. Soon after that, he wished he hadn’t. He saw the road ahead was a dead end. “Uhh, Sara? Might wanna put on the brakes.”

She didn’t.

“ _Now_ , Sara.”

They still didn’t stop.

He hollered out, “Sara!”

With that, she hit the brakes, skidding to a halt right before hitting the barrier between the road and the river below.

Sara’s entire body trembled as she rapidly breathed in and out. Her hands tightly clutched the steering wheel, so hard that her knuckles whitened.

All he could do was stare at her, hoping she would snap out of her anxiety attack. When he reached the conclusion that she wasn’t going to, he touched the back of her hand. In doing so, he caused her to flinch. Flynn held his hands up in surrender. “It’s all right,” he said in a soothing voice. “It’s only me.”

Gradually, she made eye contact with him, and her breathing slowed. The longer she continued to stare, the harder she focused, and the harder she focused, the more she realised it. Eve was right. She was putting her Librarian in danger, and she hated herself for it.

It took everything out of her to not break down, but for all her struggling, she still did. Rather than allowing herself to feel in front of him, she left the driver’s seat. However, her legs were like jelly, still reeling from adrenaline, and she fell to her knees in the grass.

Flynn made his way towards her, quietly, as to not startle her a second time. Regardless of cautious he was, she still heard him.

Sara shot him a look of utter darkness and gave him an introspective grimace. “What am I?”

Before he could answer, someone had fired a weapon. Flynn heard the bullet pierce through skin, followed by an interrupted gasp, all in the span of a second; both came from Sara. He watched her fall to the ground beneath her. It wasn’t long before he joined her, kneeling beside her, trying frantically to wake her up.

“Target is down,” a male voice spoke into his hand radio. “I repeat: target is down.”

“No. No, no, no, no, no! Sara! You can’t go, you still have to be my–” Flynn stared furiously at the man. “Why would you do that?” he wailed, on the edge of a mental breakdown. “She wasn’t hurting anyone! She–!”

Out of nowhere, Sara sprung up to her feet with a pained groan and a bewildered expression. “ _Bloody, buggering hell, that bloody hurt!_ ” she drawled in her Welsh accent. Her eyes narrowed even more when she looked at the unknown assailant, and asked, “Have _you_ done that?”

The shooter looked at her with astonishment. “How the–?” Without another word, he shot again, in the head this time, making sure she stayed dead.

Once more, she went down. A minute passed silently, and she hadn’t come back. Then another thirty seconds. Still nothing.

“It’s her,” the man said, once again talking to someone on the radio. “Yes, I know that, but I think I got her.”

Flynn ignored him and continued to gawp at her lifeless body, fighting back the urge to throw up. His eyes travelled from her to the man’s outstretched arm, offering his hand. He declined it.

Sara unexpectedly blinked a couple of times. She looked around the area, her sights landing on Flynn. His attention was focused elsewhere and didn’t notice her. Neither of them did. Not until she stood up again and growled, “You’re _really_ starting to upset me.”

The Librarian locked eyes with her, still just as staggered as before.

With a friendly smile and a wave, she said, “Hi, Flynn.”

“Hi…” he squeaked out.

A shot fired, but Sara immediately sent it flying backward with a flick of her wrist, all without taking her eyes off her Librarian. She approached him, closely searching for any sign of injury. “Are you okay?”

“Am _I_ okay?” Flynn incredulously asked. “I wasn’t the one who got shot. Twice. Also, don’t you have to deal with him?” He pointed to the man with the gun still pointed at her.

“Oh, right,” Sara strode to the shooter, eyes ablaze with a fierce, consuming thirst for vengeance. All she did, however, was back him up until he was against their car, where she pinned him down by the neck, loose enough to not choak him but not enough for him to escape. “Listen to me; I‘ve had a long day, I am tired, I’m hot, I’m hungry and now my bloody head hurts! The _last_ thing you want to do is make me cross, so do yourself a favour and piss off!”

The man trembled in fear, his pulse hammering against his chest. Just before scampering away from her, he stammered, “Ye-yes, Achelois.”

“I–” Confused, her brow furrowed. “You _wha_?” Eventually, she shook it off, refusing to let it affect her mood. Somewhat. “Can you believe that nutter, eh? Shoots me and calls me some kind of– What was it again?”

With a fixed expression of absolute shock, Flynn gawked at her. “Achelois.”

“Yeah, whatever. Why are you looking at me that way?”

A sudden burst of laughter wheezed out as soon as the realisation dawned on him, one which he covered up quickly with the palm of his hand. That hand just as swiftly slid down his chin and joined the other in flailing around while he had one of his geek-out moments. “This–” Flynn breathed audibly again, barely able to contain himself. “This explains so much! You’re a Goddess!”

“I thought I was a human artefact.”

“No, no, no,” He walked over briskly, extending his arms and gripped her biceps and looking at her with great interest. “I mean you are, which is a bit redundant, but you’re also not. Somehow… when magic was brought back into the world, you became one of the myriads of moon deities in Greek mythology: Achelois.”

“Ah,” His words slowly but surely registered in her brain. “Wait, what?”

“This… is… incredible!” Flynn jumped up and down enthusiastically.

“Flynn, focus. She had these powers? I know the Greek Gods did some _insane_ things, but–”

“I don’t know. So much about her is unknown, and whatever isn’t is mostly speculation. But she could heal. It’s not crazy to think that she had other capabilities,” Though it hit him that his explanation was ridiculous. People don’t just become Gods because of a supercharged leyline. It would boost an existing one, however. Once that idea struck him, his eyes narrowed. “Or you already we're Achleois, and it took being near a leyline to regain your powers…” It sunk in further; whatever way it happened, Flynn was in the presence of a Deity. As swift as the wielder of Excalibur himself, he got down on his knees and bowed to her.

Sara cocked her head and folded her arms. “Flynn, what the hell are you doing?”

“Milady, I cry you mercy,” he said in an exaggerated, Medieval English accent. “Thou has’t f’rgotten to payeth mine own respect to thee.”

“ _Ohhh_ , _get up!_ ” she drew out in disgust.

Quick as a flash, he did what he was told and stood straight. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, more of a nervous reaction, as embarrassment swelled inside him. “Sorry, it’s just that men and women used to give you sacrifices just to get rid of a headache, so…”

“So?” Sara chortled out.

“So I didn’t want to be one of those sacrifices.”

“Flynn, you know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you,” Looking back at the car, she remembered that was on the contrary. “Except I did put you in danger.”

He shrugged. “Still alive, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, you are,” she murmured in pleasure. She had proved Baird wrong, and that felt so damn amazing! A smirk came across her lips, and she reached out for his hand. “Come on,” With a harsh tug on his arm, she forced a muffled yelp out of him. “We’re going.”

He tried to get a word in edgewise but being shoved into the car thwarted it until he put his hand on the door to stop her from closing it. “Where?”

Therein laid the vexation. Sara didn’t have a clue. At this point, she wanted to keep moving just to avoid going back, and she didn’t want to be alone while she did it. “No idea,” she said, then shut the door, evoking a not-so-subtle indication that Flynn was irked, and she made her way to the driver’s seat. After sliding in with a weary sigh, she added, “That’s the fun part, right?”

Though he smiled and nodded along with the idea, he desperately, desperately wanted to go home. It might not be so bad if they were doing something other than fleeing and hiding. He wasn’t even certain what they were running away from any more. By now, Flynn was starting to feel like _he_ was the one being kidnapped.


End file.
